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About bjhs

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Hello, Some time ago, I deployed a MDT for helping me create a new image for our labs. Now, I deployed the SCE2010, it's working great so far. Both are really great tools, but I have some questions. Where should I deploy the applications so I can have a zero touch installation? In the MDT or the SCE? The lab image has lots of applications, and each semester we deploy a new one for updating purposes. So far, I'm thinking that maybe it's best if I use MDT for deployment with everything and just use SCE to the occasional deployment of stuff outside of the semester updates. I'm fairly new to all this so it's possible I don't even know what I want, so I would like some comments on what is the correct way of using both these programs, or the way you guys use it. Thanks in advance!

Based on this tuturial: http://blogs.technet.com/b/mmodin/archive/2010/02/03/how-to-extend-the-mdt-2010-database-with-custom-settings.aspx The answer to my problem CAN be as simples as referencing as a Property the campus that I want like for example: Property=XResolution,YResolution and then do: XResolution=%XResolution% YResolution=%YResolution% Can't test it now as a image is being built and it will take a while, but can it be that simple? Regards

Hello! I'm using MDT 2010 to deploy some workstations. I'm also using the MDT database to apply the correct name to the machine based on the mac address of the machine. However, during the population of the DB, I also added the default resolution for each machine. My problem now rests on how to query the DB for that information on the customsettings.ini. The variables to alter are for example: BitsPerPel=32 VRefresh=60 XResolution=1280 YResolution=1024 This works and are also set in the DB, so, is there a way to query the DB for such details? Has anyone worked on something close to this? Thanks in advance!

Hello! This post hasn't much to do with the question posed, but has everything to do with the post title. http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/forpros/enterprise/deploypack.aspx This tool allow to create a unattended installation of wmp. I've tried it in win xp and it works great (installed wmp11), on windows 7 it crashed. Hope someone find this usefull! Cheers

Hello, Just wanted to share a little information I just got. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/ie/bb219517.aspx This can create a fully automated instalation of IE8, with everything custom carved. Great tool! Regards

Back! You were right! MDT is really good for OS Deployments. But now I have 2 questions MDT related... Can I ask them here or is there a more propper place? It is related with the computer naming on the domain (how to give proper name to each computer), and who to do a complete unattended install even in the pxe boot (I have to choose the task to deploy in the beginning). Thanks in advance! Regards

Ok. I am convinced. Currently I'm installing a new win2k8 to do that. Maybe tomorrow I'll tell my experience with it. As for the Ghost, there is a neat trick to save us of going around with media to boot it up. Ghost doesn't recognize exotic file types, such as razer-fs so the partition doesn't end up expanded, and the can install ghost client there. Next we hide the partition, and use grub to unhide and boot it on demand. This can be done by editing the grub properties files, using ssh to linux for example. As for WSUS, do you make updates do 3 party apps with it as well? If so, that is awesome.

Thanks for the quick reply. The deployment method is ghost. That is done because of the partition scheme needed for our setup and the need of a multiboot enviroment. From what I've read in the past, WDS doesn't deploy a Linux without some sort of hack. I would like to avoid that. So the plan is, create a xp image with some tweaks, install everything needed, sysprep that, create a image of the sysprep'ed system with ghost and the broadcast it to the labs. This has worked before with other sysadmins. As for the C:\Programs Files to C:\Programs, I've seen this option on nLite, and I would really like to do it manually. The objective is to avoid that whitespace, as a way to get rid of problems in scripts and such. What are the patches that this break? Does it exist a tutorial that tells what to change in order to achieve this result? As for another point you made in your previous post, what do you say is the best? Integrate (with the /integrate or the -s switch? Which one saves more space?) the hotfixes on the ISO or just post-install then? I have an intuitive notion that a direct integration is somewhat cleaner, but then again, I'm still learning. I have 3 goals with this image, usability, performance and saving disk space, the latter is kinda loose as it's the most imperative thing to do. However all things considerer, you've got me interested on MDT, so I'll take a look at it. It might do some good things for us. Thanks

Hello, I'm trying to create a slipstreamed image to be deployed in several college labs. I'm following this (very good) guide: http://unattended.msfn.org/unattended.xp My base source is a Win XP SP3. But I've come to a stall... I think before I slipstream Hotfixes about IE8 and WMP11 I must first slipstream those. Is that correct? Assuming it is correct, I would like to ask how to slipstream IE8 manually. Another thing I need is changing the Program Files folder to something like \Programs. I haven't found this information yet, and as I'm on a limited time schedule, I would like to ask if anyone can point me out on the right direction? I guess this is it for now, but if you have any advice that you think might suit my situation please shoot away! =) Thanks!

bjhs, I see a number of problems, so I will ask you to run some experiments on your VM. First, please see my attached Help (very useful, see ? in circle next to many options) for the ProgFilesPath option in Unattended section. Environmental variables are not permitted. You are running nLite under Vista (or W7) and this can be a problem especially if you are integrating a Service Pack. I don't see your doing this and if you started with a fresh copy of you source, as you say, it already contained SP3 - true? A big problem is that you have included updates to IE8 but did not include IE8. To make the nLite run faster, please remove all updates and all the (very excessive!) drivers (not needed on VM, anyway), change your ProgFilesPath parameter to meet the requirements and try the ISO on your VM. Please let us know the result and we'll go from there. Enjoy, John. Thanks for the input! Indeed i've saw the thing about enviromental variables. But i've read somewhere that using that solved the user problems. I've also tried as i've said before, without it. As for the hotfixes, indeed you are right. But that doesn't do the program files error, what it does is a complete failure in the windows install. If i recall correctly, the error was something close to, "A write operation was attemped in a unmounted volume." or something close to it, then the computer rebooted and the cicle just started again ad eternum . Nevertheless, what i've done was to ignore hotfixes, skip that part of nLite and after that the windows install started to run smoothly. Don't know if that is there because of the first time i've tried this. As of the windows source, it's a win xp sp3, you are correct, however i'm done the iso in a win7. Is that a problem? As for the drivers, a little context is needed. I'm a sysadmin at a college. (That isn't considered a commercial use of the nLite Eula right?) We have a kinda big computer park and i need to do a universal (sort of) image for all the labs. That explains a little the necessity of the mass storage driver packs, and the LAN ones. For the thing you asked me to try, I've already tried it. I've tried to do a iso with only drivers, tweaks and unattended install with the program files change to \Programs, and that resulted on the same thing. I'm sorry for all the hassle, but can I do something else to help diagnose this? (Do you think its necessary the INI of the those tries?) Thanks!

bjhs, welcome. Please attach your Last Session.ini as requested in BOLD RED letters above. Have you run nLite more than once against the same source? . Always start with a fresh copy of your CD files/folders and run nLite only once. Enjoy, John. I'm sorry. Here it goes my last try. *Edit* I've tried the nLite ISO with VMWare, in both SCSI disks and IDE. Same results. In regard for the Windows Source, for each iteration i've started with a fresh copy. last session.ini

Hello! I have the same problem. I just wanted to change the Program Files folder to just Programs. The reason is simple, I don't want to deal with the +8letters path and the whitespace, because I'll be probable I'll have to script something or some exotic program will have trouble with that. So, using NLite, in the unattended options, I've done several tries. I've tried: \Programs C:\Programs %SYSTEMDRIVE%\Programs This is always correctly displayed in the winnt.sif. The type of unattended mode was on fully automated. Yet, whenever I install it, the default directory always revert do C:\Program Files. Things to notice: - I've also changed the Documents and Settings directory, but that worked out ok. - I've not created a user, what I have done was rename the Administrator to admin and put a password (the actual users will appear later via a AD, I would like to use the admin to install the programs first thou), this worked with limited success. The Administrator was renamed to admin, but the password became blank. (I can live with this, but just wanted to let you know). And I think this is it for now. Any help would really be appreciated. Thanks!